Horse-detaching device.



' Patented Aug. 13, 190i. W. C. PARSONS.

HORSE DETAGHING DEVICE.

(No Model.)

(Application filed Dec. 28, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

IT/V5555 6 J6 Ei/VTOR A lion/e1 1 No. 680,35l. Patented Aug. 13, 1901.

I w. c. PARSONS.

HORSE DETAGHING DEVICE.

(Application filed Dec. 28, 1900. I (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' fl/VVEN TOR I V/ T/VESSE 6 K i m (Wiley 7H! NOR :5 P Ens :0 PM

UNITED STATES ATENT Prion.

\VILLIAM O. PARSONS, OF PENNINGTON GAP, VIRGINIA.

HORSE-DETACHI NG DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,351, dated August 13, 1901.

Application filed December 28, 1900. Serial No. 41,406. (No model.) I

To all whom itmcty concern.-

Be it knownthat LWILLIAM O.,PARsoNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pennington Gap, in the county of Lee and State of Virginia,have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Horse-Detaching Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relatesto new and useful improvements in detaching devices for harnesses, whereby when a team becomes unruly it may be readily detachedfrom the vehicle, thus avoiding possible injuries to life and limb in runaways, &c.

More specifically, the invention consists in the provision of means for disconnecting a hame-fastening strap and a trace froma rod carried by the hame automatically with the disconnecting of the driving and check reins from straps fastened to the bridle.

To these ends and to such others as the invention may pertain, the same consists, further, in the novel construction,combination,

and adaptation of parts, as will be hereinafter of this application, and in which drawings- Figure l is a view showing my improved detaching device as applied to a harness. Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the mannerof holding the trace to the hame. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in-Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view'showing the check-detaching device, and Fig. 5 is an edge elevationof the check-releasing device. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the ends of the belly-band straps and retaining-strap held in slits therein.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates a pair of traces of a double harness, and B one of said hames, having a strap 13*, which is bent over the end of the hame B and secured thereto and has a projecting portion 6, which is apertured to receive the hooked end 0 of the bar C. Said bar 0 has a loop or buckle O pivoted near its hooked end, through which a strap may pass to secure said buckle to the loop or buckle mounted on the end of a second hame. (Not shown.) Said strap 13 has guide-pieces C at one of its ends on the outer edge of the hame B for the purpose of holding the shank portion of the bar 0 when the latter is held in a locked relation or in a position to fasten the ends of the hames to the collar 0 which is of ordinary construction. Said bar 0 is bent into a compound curve at a location slightly above said guide-pieces on the strap B so as to conform to the contour of the hame and to contact with the front face of the hame B,and is then bent at right angles, forming a hook C at its free upper end, over which a ring, E is adapted to engage, and through which ring E aneck-yoke chain F is adapted to pass. Secured to the outer face of the hame B is a staple M, and hung on said staple is a ring M, which is adapted to engage over the upper end of the bar 0 in order to hold the latter against the hame B and retain the ring E on the hooked end of the bar 0.

Fastened to the ring M is a cord M which after passing through a screw-eye M on the hame Blextends rearward and is fastened to the operating-lever at, which is pivoted to the wagon-box at any convenient location. The traces A are secured at their forward ends to. hooks A, which are fastened by means ofstaples to the hames of the harness. In Fig. 1 of the drawings onlyone of said traces is shown; but there are of course four of these traces in a double harness similarly mounted and connected as described.

The bridle of my harness is of ordinary construction and has reins J detachably connected to the bit-rings, anda check-strap N, which is fastened to a hook N on the saddle of the harness, passes through guide-loops on the throat-strap of the bridle and connected also to the bit-rings and is provided with detachable means, which will be hereinafter fully described.

The mechanism for detaching the reins and the check-strap from the bridleconsists of a buckle 0, having cross-pieces O and a tongue P, which is formed by bending a wire upon itself to receive the hook T, which is formed out of the wire forming the buckle 0, said hook T being slightly wider than the space between the portions of wire forming the tongue and adapted when in a locked relation to spring over said hook to hold the tongue normally against the outer face of the buckle O. Projecting from the inner portions of said tongue are lugs Q, which engage apertures R in the checkrein. The check-strap is provided with two of these detachingbuckles, and each driving-rein is provided with one similarly constructed. The checkstrap is composed of three sections, one of which is secured at its ends to the buckles O and one on each side of the bridle, which are fastened to the bit-rings in any suitable manner. To an eye X at the end of each tongue P is secured a cord X, the other end of which is fastened to the trace, or, if preferred, the lower end of said cord may be. attached to the detachable hame, whereby as the operator pulls upon the cord M to release the ring from the upper end of the hame-retaining bar the cords X, when the trace pulls backward, will cause the free end of each tongue P to become detached from the hook T and allow the check-strap to become disconnected. At any convenient location in each rein a similarly-constructed buckle with hinged tongue is provided, and each tongue has connection either with the traces or one of the hames, whereby as the hames become detached from the collar the reins, as well as the check-strap, will be automatically detached from the portions of the reins which are connected to the bit-rings.

The belly-band 1, instead of having abuckle for connecting its two ends, has its ends slitted, as at I, and a locking key or strap 1 is passed through said slits, and the forward end of the strap 1 is connected to the collar of the harness at a location adjacent to the connecting-strap which fastens the lower ends of the hames. By this provision of means for disconnecting the belly-band it will be noted that when the traces and the hames are disconnected from the harness the locking strap or key being held to the collar will draw through said slits and allow the two slitted ends to become disconnected.

From the foregoing it will be observed that when the operator throws the lever 'n rearward the hames and traces, as well as the check-strap and driving-reins, will become detached, respectively, from the collar andthe bridle, and the entire harness, with the exception of the collar and the bridle, is disconnected from the horse.

Having thus described myinventiou, what I claim to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is a 1. Inahorse-detaching apparatus, the combination with the hames, traces secured thereto, a rod having a hooked end detachably held to one of the hames and connections between said rod and the second hame, means for holding said rod to the hame and 3. In a horse-detaching device, a hame, a

socket member secured thereto, a rod having a hooked end engaging said socket, a hamestrap secured to said rod, guide-pieces integral with said socket member for holding said rod against lateral movement, the upper end of the rod being bent to form a hook, a neck-yoke-chain ring carried by said hook, and means carried by the hame to engage said hook and hold the same to the hame, and cord connections for releasing the rod from the hame, as set forth.

4:. In a horse-detaching device, the combination with the hame, a plate with a socket portion and integral guide-pieces, a rod having a hook to engage said socket, a hamestrap secured to said rod, said rod adapted to be held against lateral movement between said guide-pieces, the upper portion of the rod being bent to one side, and a hook formed at its end, a neck-yoke-chain ring .engaging said hook, a staple secured to the hame and a loop or ring retained thereby, adapted to fit over the hooked end of said rod, a rope se-' cured to said loop or ring, whereby as said ring to which the cord is connected is raised over the end of said rod, the latter is allowed to fall by gravity and the hame to become de-' tached, as well as the 11eck-yoke-chain ring,- as set forth.

5. In a horse-detaching device, the combination with a hame, and means for connect ing same to a second hame, a cord for de'' taching said hames, traces held to the hames,- the check and driving reins, connections between said reins and the traces, whereby as the hames are disconnected, said reins will become detached, as set forth.

6. In a horse-detaching device, a hame and connections for detaching the same and a cord for releasing the same, a trace secured to said hame, the checkand driving reins each having a buckle with tongue designed to be detachably held to said buckle, connections between the tongue or each buckle and a trace, whereby as the hames are released, said cord connected to the traces will cause the tongues of said buckles to swing outward and release the check and driving reins, as set forth.

7. In a horse-detaching device, the combination with a hame, means for disconnecting same, a trace secured to said hame, the check and driving reins, each rein having a buckle to which one end of the rein is secured, said its same and the trace for detaching said reins, the girth having slits therein and a strap secured at one end to the collar and passed through the registering slits in said girth, whereby as the harness is detached and drawn rearward, the ends of said girth will become detached, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM G. PARSONS. Witnesses:

FLEMMING B. JEssEE, ALEXANDER N. PENNINGTON. 

